(Fox News) Budweiser’s new pro-America ad set Twitter ablaze over the weekend as critics derided the company for a misguided attempt at quelling the backlash over Bud Light’s endorsement partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Budweiser’s latest advertisement, which was released on social media Friday, features one of the brand’s famous Clydesdale horses traversing the country from New York Cityto the Grand Canyon, passing by scenes in the American heartland as a narrator delivers a patriotic message.
“This is a story bigger than beer,” the ad’s narrator says in the ad. “This is the story of the American spirit.”
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 26: Cans of Budweiser and Bud Light sit on a shelf for sale at a convenience store in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
As the ad plays, the Clydesdale horse passes by some of the most famous American landmarks, showcasing the New York City skyline, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., small towns, and farmland. At one point, the ad showcases two people raising an American flag as one places her hand over her heart. The ad also makes reference to September 11 and was intended to bring people together, according to CEO Brendan Whitworth.
“Brewed for those who found opportunity in challenge and hope in tomorrow,” the ad’s narrator says as the horse passes by the flag-raising duo.
— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) April 14, 2023
The patriotic ad comes as Anheuser-Busch, which owns Budweiser, continues to deal with backlash over a partnership between another one of its popular brands, Bud Light, and Mulvaney. The partnership has caused a significant financial loss for the brand as calls to boycott the beer have spread across the country.
The new ad seeks to move away from the controversial partnership with patriotic messaging and imagery, but online critics said Budweiser’s feeble attempt to regain support is poor in taste and urged the brand to apologize instead.
“Hey @AnheuserBusch, if you’re at a point where you’re literally referencing 9/11 in hopes that it would make us flyover yokels run to the store to salute a 12-pack of Bud Light, you should just apologize instead. Hoping we’re stupid enough to buy this ad is insulting,” Red State senior editor Brandon Morse tweeted.
Hey @AnheuserBusch, if you’re at a point where you’re literally referencing 9/11 in hopes that it would make us flyover yokels run to the store to salute a 12-pack of Bud Light, you should just apologize instead. Hoping we’re stupid enough to buy this ad is insulting. https://t.co/p1HpTqqdXe
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) April 16, 2023
“You aren’t putting that genie back in the bottle, guys,” “Rambo” and “Black Hawk Down” actor Matthew Marsden replied.
